churchyards

A churchyard is the land surrounding a Christian church, traditionally used for burying the dead and for memorials. Churchyards are typically consecrated or blessed at least for church use and may contain gravestones, tombs, crosses, yew trees, and other landscape features. They are usually bounded by walls or hedges and may include a lychgate, a roofed gateway used during funeral processions.

Historically, churchyards were among the earliest formal burial places in Christian communities, often dating from the medieval period. They served as the primary cemetery for nearby parishes until the rise of municipal or private cemeteries in the 19th century, when public health laws and urban planning led to dedicated cemetery provision. Some churchyards remain active burial grounds, while others have closed to new interments and function as memorial spaces or heritage sites.

Typical features include gravestones and tombs arranged in family plots or rows, weathered inscriptions, and boundary features. Trees, particularly yews, are common and may have symbolic associations. Care and restoration of gravestones, safety of damaged memorials, and the prevention of desecration are ongoing concerns for maintainers.

Management generally falls to the local parish or diocese, with interments and memorial rights governed by ecclesiastical law and local regulations. In many places, interments into consecrated ground require permission; in others, churchyards may be closed to new burials but kept for memorials and historical interest. Some churchyards have been repurposed as public gardens or nature reserves while retaining memorial elements.

For researchers, churchyards are valuable historical and genealogical resources, containing inscriptions, epitaphs, and sometimes older human remains that can inform archaeology and local history. They also represent green spaces that support biodiversity within populated areas.